#24 Complete a 5k: 25 Before 25

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I’ve completed #24 on my 25 Before 25 list! Last night I completed my first 5k!

After much convincing, Hubster decided to run it with me. I’m so glad that he did. He was in cross country and track in high school, so I consider him my running expert. If it wasn’t for his tips along the way, I probably would have thought I was going to die. Then I wouldn’t have achieved one of my 5k goals: Don’t die.

Hubster had awesome tips for me, like opening up our stride going down hills. Or when I thought my shins were going to explode, he told me it was okay to step to the side and stretch them out. I learned that, while doing the Couch to 5k was helpful, practicing on a zero incline treadmill was NOT helpful. The course had a ton of large hills, which made me feel like my preparations were useless.

I had three goals for this race:
1. Don’t die.
2. Don’t be the last to cross the finish line.
3. Run it in less than 45 minutes.

I’m happy to say that I achieved all three goals, with a time of 41:46! I’m so excited. I’ve never been a distance runner, and have never run 3.1 miles in my life. In fact, I’ve never run more than one mile in my life.

My next goal is to bring my time down to 30 minutes. Now I know that I need to throw some inclines into my workouts in order to properly prepare myself. I think that cutting 11:46 off of my time between now and spring is a pretty attainable goal. 🙂